The present invention relates to an apparatus for the withdrawal of flat carton blanks made of paperboard, boxboard or corrugated board from a stack located in back of a retaining means, which comprises conveyor belts and belt guides disposed beneath the stack of blanks for the controlled withdrawal of the lowermost blank and, directly adjacent to such takeoff conveyor and driven in synchronism therewith, a conveyor for the onward transportation of the individually withdrawn blanks.
An apparatus of this type is known from German Pat. No. 1,139,513, for example. That apparatus comprises a retaining means having a slot for the withdrawal of the lowermost blank, said slot being opened and closed by means of a stop adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly. In operation, the takeoff conveyor is in constant contact with the lowermost sheet.
Due to the relative speed between the takeoff-conveyor belts and the blanks, and possibly between the blank being moved on the takeoff conveyor and the conveyor for the onward transportation of the withdrawn blanks, there is necessarily relative motion between the belts and the blanks. In the case of many lacquered or powdered blanks, such relative motion results even after short production runs in fouled, slippery takeoff-conveyor belts causing production stoppages and breakdowns due to irregularly spaced blanks. Moreover, the relative motion between blank and conveyor belts gives rise to rather pronounced belt wear.